


Friendship Set on Fire

by haylestorming (lovable_and_lovable)



Series: love in abundance [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (at first), Fluff, Multi, OT4, POV Outsider, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Post-Canon, but the heart ships what the heart ships, i hope this goes without saying but there is NO infidelity here, some of you are going to be real sad i didn't include ty lee and i'm sorry for that, takes some ideas from the comics and LoK but is not canon compliant with them, you could call this multiple very small slices of life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26995324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovable_and_lovable/pseuds/haylestorming
Summary: A few years after the war ends, the rest of the Gaang gradually becomes convinced that Mai, Zuko, Sokka, and Suki are all dating each other.
Relationships: Mai/Sokka (Avatar), Mai/Sokka/Suki/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Suki (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Suki/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: love in abundance [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2012809
Comments: 20
Kudos: 182
Collections: ATLA Polyamory Fics





	Friendship Set on Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Write the fic you want to read! This fic exists because I was bummed nobody else had written one for this OT4. I knew I wanted to write for this ship, but since I'm not yet ready to write their epic lifelong love saga (you know? those fics), I went looking for a simpler prompt, and chose [this](https://polyshipprompts.tumblr.com/post/165585104396/imagine-persons-a-and-b-and-c-and-d-of-your-ot4) one (spoilers ahoy!) from polyshipprompts on tumblr. 
> 
> The title comes from the quote "Love is friendship set on fire," which is first attributed to 17th-century English clergyman Jeremy Taylor. Laura Hendricks later used the quote as a title for a poem. 
> 
> Thank you so much to [fixationsbigandsmall](https://fixationsbigandsmall.tumblr.com/) on tumblr and [rainstormdragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainstormdragon/pseuds/rainstormdragon) on AO3 (you should click the link and read their fics!) for beta reading!

Sokka and Suki's romantic involvement was a given to anyone who knew them. Over three years after the war's end, their affections hadn't waned. Sokka still screeched Suki's name with delight every time he saw her; Suki's liquid eyes were tender, playful, or both every time they met Sokka's. Katara, Aang, and Toph, who knew their history best, had a sense of the profound and sometimes devastating emotions that they hid behind their smiles and shared with only each other. 

Mai and Zuko's relationship soon became similarly well-established to the rest of the group. They moved almost as a unit, and evidently knew each other's reactions before they had been voiced. Zuko was so sappy with Mai it was hard to believe he was the same awkward person who had found them at the Western Air Temple—until the sappiness and the awkwardness inevitably collided. Mai, apparently, found the combination attractive.

The friendship between Sokka, Suki, Mai, and Zuko was also obvious. Sokka and Mai hit it off from their first game of pai sho at The Jasmine Dragon. Suki and Mai needed to have some hard conversations about Azula, but once they had, their bond was rock solid. Sokka and Suki spent a lot of time at the palace with Zuko and Mai, due to their ambassador and guard work, and any of them kept each company when the others were busy. However, one of Aang's visits to the palace made him wonder if these known truths were not the whole truth.

* * *

Aang couldn't sleep, and wanted to talk to Sokka for a minute. He was just down the hall—Team Avatar and the Kyoshi Warriors had an entire wing to themselves that included Sokka's ambassador suite. Aang paused outside the door to Sokka's rooms when he heard Zuko's firm voice from inside.

"Sokka, it's time to sleep."

"Just a bit longer." Sokka's voice was distant—he was clearly still engrossed in his project.

"You always say that, and 'a bit' turns into another hour."

Sokka chuckled. "Hmm, I've heard those words before. But usually, I'm the one saying them to you. When did that change?"

"I'm sure it'll change again in another week," Zuko said. "But yeah, at some point, I picked up from you how to take care of people."

There was a long pause. Aang barely heard Sokka say, "I don't want to go to bed." His small, fragile tone of voice made Aang frown in bewilderment.

"I'll stay with you," Zuko said.

"You don't have to. I'm—"

"You," Zuko interrupted, "need and deserve comfort just as much as any of us. Go clean your teeth."

Sokka's feet padded to his bathroom, and Aang heard rustling—Zuko must be straightening Sokka's bedclothes—then the sounds of water being poured, papers and ink being tidied. Sokka's footsteps sounded again and then the bed creaked as he settled himself.

"Is the room cool enough?" Zuko asked as he slid the curtains closed.

"Yes, Zuko, as always," Sokka said, a smile in his voice. The bed creaked again.

Aang's curiosity was too much. Plus, if he waited any longer, he might invade their privacy more than he already had. Carefully, he peeked through the doorway, hoping neither of his friends could see him.

Sokka looked so relaxed he might already be asleep, sprawled out on his side. He was half in and half out of the blue sheets. Zuko sat next to him, his face soft, his eyes creased fondly. Ever so gently, he stroked Sokka's loose hair back from his temple.

Aang tiptoed away, the worries that had compelled him to find Sokka forgotten. He had a much more enjoyable question to ponder now. There was such an easy, domestic familiarity between Zuko and Sokka. Was that magnetic pull between them new, or was Aang only just noticing something that had long since been there? 

* * *

A week later, Aang and his friends attended a peace summit in the Earth Kingdom, and what he saw made him think on Zuko's relationships again. At the party following the peace talks, Aang tried to watch his friends as he socialized with dignitaries. Toph wasn't attending this particular event, as it took place in Gaoling and she didn't want to give her parents an opportunity to see her. She was with Mai on a trip for Mai's work with foster families. Katara was deep in discussion with Huu and other members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe. Aang had lost track of Sokka. Suki was easy to find in her green and blue formal wear, honoring both Avatar Kyoshi and her island's customs. Zuko came up behind her, and Suki didn't startle. He bent close to her head to murmur something. Suki grinned and walked over to the musicians, who were currently providing soft ambiance.

A few moments later, one of the musicians announced, "And now, to dancing! We'll begin with a traditional tune from Kyoshi Island."

Suki and Zuko walked hand in hand to the middle of the room and started to dance. It wasn't a connected partner dance, so they unclasped their hands, but they remained next to each other as others joined in. To Aang's surprise, Zuko wasn't just swaying to the beat; his raised arm motions were almost as coordinated as Suki's. It wasn't an easy dance to do well without practice. Suki must have taught it to him. Aang knew the movements from his visits to Kyoshi Island before the war.

Aang and his current conversation partner joined the cluster of dancers, but Aang continued to watch Zuko and Suki when he could. Suki's eyes gleamed, her smile radiant, as she looked at Zuko. Something seemed different about him, but it took Aang a moment to place it. It was the lack of the blushing awkwardness that was present when he was dancing with dignitaries or strangers.

The fact that Zuko and Suki had started the dancing wasn't inherently romantic; it would only give the impression that the Fire Lord was continuing to improve international relations, if anything. Zuko's knowledge of the dance and cheerful initiation of it, though... that, combined with what Aang had seen between Sokka and Zuko, was something more. With both pairs, there was an energy there that was more than friendly, and Aang had a pretty good sense for energy, if he said so himself.

Aang wondered if Mai was also dating Suki and/or Sokka, or if it was just Zuko. Either way, there was no doubt in his mind that Mai and Zuko's relationship was alive and well, and not just political. Aang was a snuggly person himself, but sometimes those two got so close and heated ( _ha!_ ) that Aang had to fight a blush. The worst incident of all (though perhaps the best for Mai and Zuko, Aang supposed) had happened just last week at the palace in Caldera City. He'd gone looking for Zuko in the back of the library and only his light Airbender's tread had saved him from interrupting a passionate kiss during which Mai had Zuko pinned—literally!—to a table. Thankfully, their clothes were still on (they did facilitate the pinning).

After the party, Aang wanted to tell Katara his speculations right away. He thought about it a little more, though, and realized that there was no way to find privacy from both the many summit attendees and Sokka. It wasn't until the two of them were flying on Appa back to the South Pole that he had a chance to talk to her.

* * *

They had just passed Kyoshi Island, and Appa knew the way to Katara's village from there, so she and Aang were lounging in the saddle. She could tell from the way he kept wiggling his feet that he was gearing up to tell her something.

"Katara, I noticed something about Zuko on this trip."

"Oh yeah? What?"

"I think he's dating Sokka and Suki."

Katara blinked. Non-monogamous relationships were acceptable in the Southern Water Tribe, so she supposed it wasn't out of the question for Sokka.

"You're saying you think the three of them are in one polyamorous relationship, all together?"

"Yes. You should have seen them." Aang recounted the two scenes he had observed.

"What about Mai?" Katara asked.

"I'm sure Mai's still with Zuko. But I don't know whether she's dating anyone else, or has just consented to Zuko's other relationships."

"You're saying Zuko could be dating Mai on the one hand—so to speak—and Sokka and Suki on the other," Katara clarified.

"Yes. Or Mai could also be dating Sokka and Suki. Or just one of them, or someone else entirely!"

"That's complicated," Katara said.

"I know, and I guess I might have some of it wrong," Aang admitted. "But it's such an exciting possibility for them! All that infinite love to share in so many ways and new relationships."

"I can sort of see it for Sokka, but the others?"

"On Kyoshi Island, at least a hundred years ago, polyamory was common and openly accepted."

"Okay, but Zuko? I doubt he and Mai were raised in a culture that welcomed that sort of thing."

Aang nodded. "The monks taught me that in Roku's youth, same-sex relationships and polyamory were normal in the Fire Nation. Love was thought of as a flame—it could be shared from person to person, like a flame from torch to torch, without any of the previous flames diminishing. But that sort of unity was a threat to Sozin, so when he began to grow the military and establish the colonies, he also cracked down on relationships. He changed the law so that legal marriage was only between one man and one woman. Polyamory was spun as something that was only sexual, and sex was seen as much more of a bodily need than an emotional experience."

"So that's how Zuko and Mai would have been taught to see it."

"Yes, but Zuko's been learning and reviving a lot of the old ways. I bet, in his research, he's gotten the full picture of what polyamory is about."

Katara appreciated Aang's optimism, but she still wasn't sure. From what Aang had said, polyamory would have been a tough subject for Zuko to bring up with Mai. Plus, between Sokka's and Zuko's isolated upbringings, the trauma the war had inflicted on all of them, and the unusually deep bonds their team had forged, could any conclusions really be drawn from the way Sokka, Zuko, and Suki showed affection?

* * *

When Sokka arrived at their village two months later, Katara was surprised to see that Mai was the sole companion standing on the ship's ramp with him. It was strange to see Mai, so tall and lithe, bundled in so much fur that, from a distance, she looked more like a koala sheep than her usual self. It was even stranger to see her separately from Zuko—while Katara had never assumed the couple was attached at the hip, Mai's participation in their group normally went hand in hand with Zuko's. Still, Mai was family of one sort or another. Katara was disappointed, if not surprised, at Suki's absence—her strong sense of duty, boundless energy, and outgoing heart meant that she was pulled in multiple directions as much as any of their friends. Tucking these thoughts away, Katara used her bending to skate across the ice toward them.

She crashed into Sokka's arms, and Katara's heart came to rest in the particular way it only did when she was with her brother. After hugging Mai as well, and when the flurry of greetings had died down, she said brightly, "Just the two of you, huh?"

Sokka replied, "Yeah, Zuko has a meeting with both Kuei and Bumi that he couldn't reschedule. Suki's looking out for him." Whether Sokka meant in her official capacity as a Kyoshi Warrior and a member of the Fire Lord's guard, or as a friend who made sure Zuko was hydrated and protected from social viper bats, Katara couldn't be sure.

"So I decided to keep Sokka company on the journey. It's high time I saw your home," said Mai, looking at Sokka. She turned back to Katara. "We brought dried fruit for everyone. Sokka helped the staff figure out a way to preserve the taste better."

"It's called freeze drying!" Sokka said, and gave a long-winded explanation of the process as they walked back to the village. Mai never interrupted or yawned. (Katara couldn't say the same for herself.)

Later that night, Hakoda, Bato, Kanna, Katara, Sokka, and Mai gathered around the fire. Mai was pressed into Sokka's side. It made sense, of course, for a non-bender from the tropics to feel cold, but Mai certainly hadn't cuddled up to Katara when they'd sat down next to each other. Mai could be so stoic that Katara would have expected her to tough it out without the help of shared body heat, unless Zuko was present.

The next day, Sokka and Katara showed Mai the sights. They went canoeing, and showed Mai where they had found Aang. Then they paddled far enough to see the best icebergs. Some were striped in layers of jade green, black, and every shade of blue. Others were translucent, the sunlight making them so shiny, they appeared on the verge of melting. Closer to the village, Sokka dared Mai to catch a fish. After a couple of tries to adjust for the refraction of the water, she could spear a fish beautifully, but she refused to handle the slippery catch. Then, at Sokka's begging, they caught one using one of Mai's knives plus Katara's bending. 

Sokka insisted on taking Mai penguin sledding next. Katara smiled, glad to see Sokka being silly in their childhood home for perhaps the first time since their dad had left. Mai liked the turtleducks as much as anyone, but Katara wasn't sure if penguin sledding would be to her taste. However, Mai whooped as she slid down the hill after Katara. Sokka followed her, and when they'd all stumbled to their feet, Mai actually giggled. She was looking at Sokka as she did, which would have made more sense if Sokka had fudged the landing, but there was nothing of the sort for Katara to tease him about.

That night, the celestial lights made an appearance. Sokka squealed with excitement. Mai smiled in wonder at the aurora, just as anyone would. Whether the admiration was genuine or she affected it for Sokka's sake, Katara wasn't sure, but it made her smile, too.

When it ended, Sokka said to Mai, "I'm so glad the lights showed up for you." His tone was soft and sincere.

Katara almost choked at Mai's reaction. She gazed at Sokka with the same kind of wide-open, doe-eyed look Katara had seen her give Zuko in more tender moments, when they seemingly forgot they had an audience. Mai lifted her hand, hesitating. Katara thought she might cup Sokka's face, but Mai settled her hand on his shoulder. Sokka pulled her into a hug, tucking his nose into her hair.

Katara had believed the details of Aang's retelling, but hadn't been sure how to interpret them. What he'd witnessed could have just spoken to the close friendships among the two couples. But with his report and what she'd seen, this time with Mai in the picture, she now thought Aang's explanation was correct.

* * *

Aang and Katara had told Toph their polyamory theory about the others. It wasn't a shocking notion to Toph; she'd heard of such relationships in the Earth Rumble gossip chain, and in her other travels since the war. Toph figured she didn't have too much confirmation bias (Sokka had taught her about that), and _did_ have enough superior senses, to gather more evidence on her next visit to Caldera City. Could she still call it "visiting" if she had a bedroom in the palace that no one else used, where she even kept some clothes?

Zuko met Toph at the palace gates and reintroduced her to some of the staff, then had to hurry to his next meeting. He encouraged her to bug him later to make sure they could have dinner together.

Toph found her other friends in Mai's room, which was big enough for a sofa and two chairs in addition to the bed.

"Toph!" Suki said, and came over to give her a hug.

"Hi, Toph," said Mai. "I'd offer you a punch, but I've got this nasty cold. Bad timing, huh?"

"The worst," Toph groaned. "You'd better recover quick."

"I'll do my best," Mai said. Suki left Toph's side. "Suki, again, you don't need to stay with me," Mai scolded. "I know you hate getting sick."

Suki didn't move from where she had sat on the edge of Mai's bed. Toph was surprised. Like her, Suki was usually too busy kicking ass to tolerate being sick. Even Toph would sacrifice some quality snark time with Mai until she got better, and their friendship was legendary. It wasn't too hard though, since Toph's stay would be a long one.

"Daiyu can stay with me, not to mention any of the rest of the staff, including the healers." Mai continued. Daiyu was Mai's lady's maid.

"Nope. Daiyu is wonderful, but you need the healing power of love," Suki said teasingly.

"Yikes, that sounds like something you picked up from Ty Lee," said Mai.

"Nope, that's a Sokka quote, actually," Suki said, and Toph's eyebrows jumped. "So can I stay?"

Toph waited for Mai to say "whatever," but instead she caught Mai's throaty "Okay." Was she smiling?

"Good," said Suki. "How about I read to you? That way you can rest, and Toph can have some entertainment."

Mai _did_ say "whatever," to that suggestion, though her tone was more flexible than sardonic. Toph should really go if she didn't want to get sick, but this was so intriguing. She contented herself with opening the window for fresh air, thankful for the Fire Nation's mild winter weather.

When Mai insisted on getting up for a brief stretch, Toph felt Mai's heartbeat. It was pretty fluttery, but maybe that was just the fever, or exertion?

Suki repositioned herself to sit against the bed's headboard and began to read. Mai was a fan of serial fiction, quick-paced and action-packed. She was completely silent, except for her congested breathing.

Eventually, Suki's voice slowed. "She's asleep," she whispered to Toph. "I'm sleepy, too."

"Okay," Toph said. "I'll go find Zuko or something."

"Bye, Toph," Suki murmured. "I'll see you more soon."

Toph made her way to the courtyard, and passed some time bending the rock garden into fine art. When she could no longer feel the sun on her back, she went to fetch Zuko from his study.

"Hey, Warm Fuzzies, dinner time," Toph said as a greeting.

"Hi, Toph. Thanks. Let me just jot this last note down...okay." Zuko scooted his chair away from his desk and yawned. She heard his shoulders crack.

"How long has Mai had that cold?" Toph asked.

"A couple days. I think she just hit the worst of it," Zuko replied. Toph could hear the concern in his voice.

"Oof, good thing Suki's with her." 

"Oh, is she?" Zuko said. His tone wasn't at all surprised. He sounded like he thought it was cute. And not just mildly entertaining-cute. Precious, turtleducks-cute. 

_Huh._

* * *

Months passed, and everything the rest of the group observed confirmed that Sokka, Suki, Zuko, and Mai were all in a romantic relationship. Sokka's art was on a wall of Zuko's bedroom, and Ty Lee told Katara that she'd caught a glimpse of one of his paintings in a drawer of Mai's desk. Iroh mentioned that Zuko had asked him for recommendations until they'd discovered blends of tea that Mai, Sokka, and Suki each loved. Any of the four of them were always touching when they relaxed by the turtleduck pond. Kyoshi Island villagers had plenty of gossip to share about the Fire Nation nobles who had come to visit and been incredibly gracious. In addition to devising applicators, cleansers, and moisturizers inspired by the effect Suki's makeup had on her skin, Sokka had invented self-inking stamps for Zuko and had carved Mai her own boomerang. 

"But why haven't they told us?" Katara all but whined. She and Aang had met up with Toph after one of her traveling metalbending demonstrations, and now they were camping and eating a picnic dinner.

"C'mon, it's obvious. The Fire Sages and advisors finally stopped breathing down Zuko's neck, now that he and Mai have been steady for so long. Those two don't want to rock the boat. In a hereditary monarchy, nobles don't take so kindly to non-monogamy before an heir has been secured," Toph explained.

"Okay, so they haven't made it public. But we're family! And we can keep a secret," Katara protested.

"Yeah. But after the events of the last—oh wait, his whole life—I can't really blame Zuko for being paranoid," Toph said. 

"That's true," said Aang. "And I bet they're going to tell us, just waiting for the right time!"

"Fine," Katara said reluctantly. "I guess I'll trust their reasoning."

* * *

Finally, they were all together again, vacationing on Ember Island. Katara and Aang had taken everyone "snorkeling" in giant underwater bubbles to admire the tropical fish. Sokka had built a zipline from one of the tall crags all the way into the water. They'd all played Queen of the Hill (with the rule that the hill was not allowed to be relocated with earthbending). After a long day, they were sprawled on the beach close to the house, with torches lit so they could see each other in the increasing darkness.

"I'm gonna head to bed soon," said Zuko. Now that he was no longer pushing himself to the limit, he was usually the first one to get tired. "Too bad you weren't here to help air out the rooms, Aang. Sokka, there was dust in yours like you wouldn't believe—"

"Sokka's room?" Aang interrupted. "Aren't you four sharing a room?"

"Why would four of us be sharing?" Mai said blankly.

Aang blushed, and backpedaled. "Uh, no reason. I didn't say anything."

"Yes, you did, Aang," Zuko said flatly, with a glare that said he would brook no argument. 

"What did you mean?" Suki asked.

Aang was just blushing redder. Katara certainly didn't want to be the one to say it. Toph came to the rescue. "Aren't you four—Zuko, Mai, Sokka, and Suki—all dating each other?"

"What?" Sokka yelped.

"Um, no," said Suki. Mai was silent and stone-faced. Zuko's entire face matched his scar in color.

"Oh, Spirits," Katara said, looking between them. How could they fix this?

"Well," said Toph, "the three of us are going inside." She grabbed Aang's and Katara's elbows and practically marched them back toward the beach house.

"Monkey feathers!" said Aang, once they were inside. "I can't believe I did that."

"Me neither, Twinkle Toes. But all four of their heartbeats took off running when you said it."

* * *

Sokka was practically gasping for air and Zuko looked ready to shrivel on the spot. Even Suki was tense like she was ready for a fight; her gaze darted erratically between the other three. So Mai did what she did best—she set emotion aside, and prioritized.

She drew a line in the sand with her toe. "Zuko and I are going to talk way over there." Mai gestured away from the line. "And you two are going to talk way over there." Mai pointed in the other direction. "After a time, if anyone wants to talk among the four of us, then approach this line and wait for the others to join you. Understood?"

"Got it," said Suki, quickest on the uptake. With that, she and Mai both led their boyfriends in opposite directions.

Mai focused on nothing but walking. After taking charge just now, she felt depleted. Zuko stopped walking, and Mai looked to confirm that they had traveled a sufficient distance.

"Do you want a fire?" Zuko asked. Mai nodded. It might be for her physical comfort, but it would also be for Zuko's emotional comfort.

Zuko gathered some driftwood, bent heat into the sand to remove any dampness, and cooled it off again. He arranged the wood and lit a fire, then gestured for Mai to sit. She did, not all the way across the fire from him, but enough so that she could see his face.

Mai decided to go on the offensive. Zuko was the more candid of the two of them. "Do Aang and the others have a point? Is there anything to their assumption?"

Zuko's forehead crinkled, and he took his time before answering—a testament to how far he had come. "Yes, but I haven't been unfaithful to you."

"I assumed as much. It's not in you."

"And from your perspective?" Zuko asked, eyes narrowed.

"I'd answer the same way you did," Mai said, and it was the truth. She decided to plow onward. "I realized a while ago that I was attracted to both Sokka and Suki. At first I thought it would pass. When it didn't, I didn't know what to think. You were it for me since I was a little girl, and my feelings for you haven't changed."

"Mine either," Zuko said. "It was the same for me. I thought that my experience was a betrayal of our culture, until I found these old scrolls and books Sozin had locked away. There was a lot there—information on the dragons, Sun Warrior legends, and so on. But I found plays and records showing marriages between people of the same sex and of more than two people. Sozin was the one to invalidate all that." The fire rose slightly as he spoke.

Mai nodded. She wanted to see those scrolls. "I figured that just because Fire Nation society railed against it, didn't mean it was wrong—maybe the opposite. But I still didn't know how to navigate the situation."

"Why didn't you just talk to me?" Zuko asked gently.

"You think _I_ was going to initiate a conversation about feelings?" Mai drawled. "But really, Zuko, you have a major jealous streak. I was worried you'd jump to conclusions."

Zuko pouted. "I was in a bad place then! I'm better now."

"I could ask you the same question. You had the scrolls, evidence that it was an accepted practice for thousands of years. Why didn't you say something?"

Zuko sighed. "I wasn't sure how you'd take it, either. I didn't want you to think it was just a sexual whim. And..." He paused.

Mai scooted closer, put a hand on his knee.

"I didn't know if I was ready to manage multiple relationships. I've already made so many mistakes, and that was just with you—imagine it multiplied by three."

Zuko's phrasing could also be classified as a mistake, but Mai knew what he meant. With their pasts, a relationship was hard work, rewarding though it was.

"And now? Do you think you're ready?" Mai asked.

"I'm not sure. And I know myself well enough to know that just because I don't feel ready, it doesn't mean I'm not. I want to be ready. What do you want?"

Mai paused. "I want to try. But I don't know how this works, and we have to keep in mind practical considerations..."

* * *

"Can we recap what just happened?" Sokka said, when Suki had finished marching him down the beach. "Because I want to make sure I didn't hallucinate it."

She knew this was his attempt at easing them into the conversation. "Yes. Aang made a comment assuming you, me, Zuko, and Mai would all be sleeping in the same room. We called him on it, and Toph revealed that they think we're all dating each other. The four of us reacted with shock and confusion. Can I stop there?"

Sokka nodded. "So? What do you think of all that?"

Suki sighed, and tugged Sokka down to sit on a log of driftwood. "What do you know about polyamory?"

He shrugged. "A good amount. I know it happened at home—it's accepted in the Southern Water Tribe."

"That's what I thought. You probably know that it is on Kyoshi Island as well. Avatar Kyoshi was very accepting of polyamory, and historically there were relationships of that sort among the Warriors, though there hadn't been in my cohort, yet."

"So had you thought about us dating other people?"

"Not at first. I knew I liked girls and boys, but that didn't dictate anything. I always thought polyamory was something I might do when I was older, or I might not. I felt perfectly satisfied in my relationship with you. But then, we started spending more time with Zuko and Mai, and I developed feelings for both of them." Suki could feel herself blushing.

"Hey, it's okay," Sokka took her hands gently. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Mai and Zuko are major public figures in the Fire Nation, which has been very dismissive of non-traditional relationships. I think it's probably out of the question for them. There wasn't anyone else who I'd want to date besides you or them. It seemed less painful if I never voiced my feelings, never made them real." Sokka squeezed her hands. "I told myself you would bring it up if you wanted it, too," she continued, "which was a blatant lie, because you and Zuko have always had chemistry."

"Well, I didn't know that!" Sokka protested. "Zuko's just...cool, dammit! I mean, also uncool, but adorably so—I thought it was a friend-crush! Same thing with Mai. I just haven't had enough friends to figure out how to be certain of the difference. And even when I did think that it was probably a crush-crush, I thought that you never bringing it up, despite being from Polyamory Island, meant that you wanted to be monogamous. And obviously I'm still in love with you, so it seemed like a nonstarter."

Suki laughed. "It sounds like we both couldn't get out of our heads about it."

Sokka smiled. "Yeah, so no more hypothesizing. What do you want?"

"In a vacuum? Yes, I'd want all four of us to date. But like I said, they're public figures in the Fire Nation. I don't know if I want to sign up for that."

"I hear you," Sokka said. He had his pondering face on. "But with the way polyamory can work, maybe we don't have to. Like, Mai and Zuko can be the partners who share all the Fire Nation things with each other. I'd be Zuko's partner who also knows how it feels to be an older brother, and Mai's partner who also uses thrown weapons. You'd be Zuko's partner who is also his bodyguard—which is extremely sexy of you both, by the way. And you and Mai would be the partners who like rice candy. Those are silly examples, but you see what I mean?"

"Yeah. And we shouldn't make any more assumptions. Are you ready to go talk to them?"

"I'm ready as long as you're with me," Sokka said. She loved that open look his face got. Suki just smiled, and tugged on his hand once more.

* * *

Zuko was relieved when Sokka and Suki approached the line first. He felt that the ball was in their court, rather than his and Mai's, for a couple of reasons. First, from what he knew of Avatar Kyoshi, Zuko guessed that Suki, at least, knew more about how this conversation should go. Also, he and Mai wanted to make sure that anywhere this went was at Sokka and Suki's urging. How could they ask their two closest friends to make a commitment to them when they themselves were so tied up with the Fire Nation? Even if Sokka and Suki wanted to go for it, the four of them would have to discuss how to balance the relationship with his position. Sometimes (a lot of the time), Zuko really hated being the Fire Lord.

"Fancy meeting you here," Sokka said when Zuko and Mai had arrived at the line as well. Zuko rolled his eyes affectionately. Once more, he heated the sand so any water would evaporate and they could all sit comfortably.

Back to her usual equanimity under pressure, Suki took the direct approach (much to Zuko's relief).

"Sokka and I both like both of you, and we would like to date you, but this is a complicated situation that we need to discuss," she said.

Zuko was trying to hold all those complications in his mind, and listen as well, but the warm, gently fizzy feeling in his chest was taking over. Mai cleared her throat, and he saw a little flame flickering between his hands, which he'd clasped loosely over his crossed legs. He quickly tuned in with his body and his inner fire to extinguish the flame, and realized that if he were to exhale, a gentle puff of flame would curl out, like a dragon's contented purr.

To his embarrassment, the other two had noticed. Sokka whimpered, "Suki! That's so _cute_."

Mai snorted, used to this sort of thing. "Give him a minute," she said.

Zuko tried to close his eyes and acknowledge the feeling of happiness, letting it wash over him, but it was too much. He burst out laughing, and the others let themselves laugh too. Thankfully, laughing put a stop to any emotional bending, as did crying—both physiological reactions were so hard to control that firebenders would really be in danger otherwise.

When they finally stopped giggling, Zuko's inner flame had settled back to normal, if especially happy, levels, and was inside his body where he wanted it to be. "Sorry about that," he said, and that just set Sokka and Suki off in another round of laughter.

"Okay, okay," Mai broke in, probably recognizing that Zuko was currently past the point of the other two taking him seriously. "Suki, you were saying."

Suki took a deep breath and composed herself. "Right; it's complicated. Um, where to start. Okay, so, Sokka and I are guessing that polyamory didn't have the best reputation in the Fire Nation when you two were growing up—wait, do you know the term polyamory?"

Zuko shook his head, but Mai said, "I think we got it from context clues."

"Great, so you know it's a term for having romantic relationships with multiple partners, with the full consent of everyone involved. All those people might all be dating each other, or it might be that only some combinations within the group are dating. So I guess we should clarify what's on the table here?"

"From our perspective," Sokka offered, "it's all four of us all dating. That's what Suki and I want. I'd elaborate for clarity, but I don't want Zuko to go all bendy on us again. But, theoretically, and this is just an example that is not based in fact, if Suki wanted to date you, but I didn't, then you three could be dating while I still dated Suki, but separately. Or if Mai and Suki wanted to date each other but Zuko and I didn't want to change our existing relationships, then Mai and Suki could date while Zuko also dated Mai and I also dated Suki. Or, if two of us wanted to date another two of us, but not all at once, then Suki and I could date while she also dated Mai and Mai also dated Zuko and Zuko could also date me. Or—"

"Sokka, no more math," Suki said sharply.

"That's barely math!" Sokka argued. "But fine, point taken. What do you two want?"

"We both like both of you, too," Mai said. Sokka's and Suki's eyes softened. "Which means that even if you broke it down into pairs, no one would be left out, so we'd all be dating each other and it's just one relationship."

"Right, but all six individual pairs matter, as does each triad," Suki said. _Math,_ Sokka mouthed with satisfaction, and waggled four fingers. "It's healthiest if the relationship doesn't just happen when all four of us are together, or when the either of the original two couples are together. We should all be comfortable with any of the group being romantic with each other regardless of who is there with them. Is that okay with everyone?"

Zuko looked to Mai for confirmation, and nodded. "We already spend a lot of time together in smaller groups or pairs, anyway."

"Yes," Sokka said in his jokingly intellectual voice (instead of his regular, intellectual voice). "It's becoming clear to me why the younglings thought we were dating....Mai, as always, you are forbidden to tell Katara I call them that."

"As always, you are not in charge of me," Mai said coolly.

"Can we put that in our polyamory contract? Not that I'm in charge of Mai, but that she can't tell Katara my secrets?"

Zuko blinked. "Polyamory contract? Is that a thing?"

"It can be," Suki said. "I mean, all relationships are founded on an agreement, whether it's written down or not. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Are we all on the same page with this one-relationship-that-also-contains-multiple-valid-relationships concept?" Everyone nodded.

"Suki, your original question was about where the Fire Nation stands with polyamory," Mai said. She nodded at Zuko to take over.

"Suki is right that polyamory has been looked down on in recent years. But that was Sozin's decision, just like undoing the legal significance of same-sex marriage. Before Sozin, having multiple partners of any gender was seen as very normal, at least among regular citizens. I didn't find any clear records on whether it occurred with Fire Lords. And even if it did, attitudes have regressed since then. The new nation, and my authority, are still fragile, so...I don't know that I'd be able to acknowledge our relationship publicly. I can't give you everything." Zuko really hated saying that part.

Sokka and Suki nodded. "Well," she said delicately, "that does have the potential to be painful for any of us, but Sokka was saying earlier that it sort of works out. Mai, you'll still be a lot of unique things to Zuko if we all date, and one of those things is that you two are public figures, and public partners, who work together for your nation. Sokka and I wouldn't want to be Fire Nation public figures, outside of the diplomacy we already do, because our cultures are so deeply important to us. So we can't give _you_ everything, either—and that's not a bad thing."

"In the Water Tribe, it's a truism that no one person can be everything for somebody else," Sokka added. "That's one of the reasons we're accepting of polyamory. Without all that pressure on one person, it's a lot more reasonable to expect that people might want multiple partners."

Suki nodded. "Exactly."

"And don't put this all on your lordliness, Zuko," said Sokka. "Even if the Sages and whoever were fine with polyamory in general, I'm still the ambassador. Anyone in either nation could see that as an unacceptable conflict of interest."

"So, there are a lot of reasons to keep this... couple-merging quiet. But like Suki said, it all comes with the potential for pain. So are we prepared for that?" Mai asked.

Suki and Sokka nodded, but the fear that he would hurt them—again—nagged at Zuko. "I don't want to mess this up, and lose your friendship," he croaked out.

"That's a scary possibility for all of us," Sokka said, and the other two nodded. "But a wise man once told me, 'you can't quit just because you're afraid you might fail.' In fact, he said it the very week that all four of us united for the same cause. The same week—you know what, I'm going to say day, that's more poetic—that Zuko trusted me with a life-or-death mission. The same day that Suki trusted a former foe to help her escape. The same day that Mai trusted that Zuko's heart was in the right, and chose love over fear, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. If we all look to that day, and what we've survived, I think we have the trust, the bravery, and the love to see each other through this, even if we don't work out romantically."

Zuko blinked, hard. Mai sniffled. They all turned to her in surprise, and she glared. "Dammit, Sokka!"

"Sokka's never said anything that pretty to just me," Suki mock-lamented. "He just told me I talk too much."

"Well, that wasn't very self-aware of him," Mai said, and then they were all laughing again.

* * *

Aang really wished he could scream into a koala sheep. He was about to make do with a pillow when the door opened. Toph and Katara came running. They were all on edge, but Aang's incessant rambling and fidgeting had eventually become too much for the other two to put up with in the same room.

Suki, Sokka, Mai, and Zuko walked inside, and the two groups stood facing each other. Aang tried to analyze their expressions. Was that Zuko's angry face, or his normal face? Was it Sokka's Wang Fire face, or his actual stern face? Why was Suki frowning so hard? Was Mai...he gave up. She was a blank slate when she wanted to be. 

Sokka cleared his throat. "Likely you have all realized that, no, the four of us were not dating like you thought. There was no dating going on except the Sokka-Suki dating and the Zuko-Mai dating that has always been there. However, you may have been correct in your assessment of...feelings, and so we have you all to thank for bringing this matter to our attention in a way we could not ignore. We have all talked and decided that we are going to try out dating as a quad. To be very clear: all four of us are all dating each other. You might see two of us being couple-y without the other two present, or just three of us together. It is all expected and okay. We are placing great trust in you by explaining this, and we expect that you will keep this information entirely to yourselves. This includes family; the four of us will choose when to tell Iroh, Hakoda, and so on. Understood?"

Katara sighed in relief and nodded, and Aang grinned. "That's wonderful!"

"I have a question," Toph said. "Does this mean we'll have to put up with three times as much PDA, or five times as much PDA? Like, I don't think the triads should count separately, but I wouldn't put it past you all..."

Sokka opened his mouth to reply, but Suki cut him off. "Please, take it outside," she said with utmost exhaustion. Then, with a twinkle in her eye: "I'll just be cuddling with Mai and Zuko while you do that."

Sokka closed his mouth. "Sorry, Toph. We can talk math in the morning."

"It's okay. I don't need math to know I'm the outlier now," Toph said, gazing wistfully into the distance.

Sokka's eyes went huge. "I'm so proud of her," he whispered to Suki.

She patted his chest. "I know, honey. Sleepy time now." They followed Mai and Zuko up the stairs.

Aang and Katara looked at Toph awkwardly. "Don't worry. I'm used to being an outlier; it's the best. Best earthbender in the world, only metalbender, only one of us not to be dating another one of us...who knows what's next?" Aang knew that Toph meant what she said. He thought that maybe she should start teaching self-esteem classes in addition to metalbending. 

"Well, that may be," Katara said. "But you aren't going to be the only one sleeping on the main floor tonight. C'mon, you two, let's start the pillow fort."

Later, as they drifted off to sleep, Aang reflected on the new, joyful energy in the house. He had never been so glad to have put his foot in his mouth.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> I realize that half the one-on-one friends-to-lovers scenes in this are about beds...what can I say, peaceful sleep is the most appealing fantasy.
> 
> The dancing in the scene with Zuko and Suki is based on [Kachashi](http://okinawa-information.com/blog/what-kachashi-dance), a folk dance of Okinawa, Japan. EDIT: the lovely [fixationsbigandsmall](https://fixationsbigandsmall.tumblr.com/) painted [fan art](https://fixationsbigandsmall.tumblr.com/post/633162086459080704/i-read-a-wonderful-fic-few-days-ago-all-of-you) of this scene! Thank you so much!
> 
> I was trying to figure out what gift Mai could bring to Hakoda and the SWT when I saw [this](https://mostly-mundane-atla.tumblr.com/post/628029126437158912/foods-that-could-be-common-for-water-tribesmen-in) post by mostly-mundane-atla on tumblr talking about possible foods, local and imported, eaten in the SWT. Many thanks!
> 
> I'm [haylestorming](https://haylestorming.tumblr.com/) on tumblr if you want to chat and/or see my thorough AtLA tags, including [/maizukki](https://haylestorming.tumblr.com/tagged/maizukki) for this ship. You can also search "maizukki" on tumblr to find the group chat I run, ATLA Polyam Ships, which is also for other ships, such as those including Ty Lee or Yue, or Bato/Hakoda/Kya!
> 
> I would love to have more fic buddies who can be sounding boards/beta readers/etc. for each other so please reach out on tumblr if you’d like to be friends! Again, I'm [haylestorming](https://haylestorming.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> Wishing you all the best. <3


End file.
